A broadcast network, as defined herein, is a network wherein one or more content providers deliver audio, visual, or multimedia content to a plurality of affiliates, each of which broadcasts its received content to a multitude of listeners or viewers. One example of such a broadcast network is a radio network.
If a broadcast affiliate does not employ its own recording artist (e.g., a disc jockey or on-air personality), some of the content that is provided to the broadcast affiliate may be localized content. Localized broadcast content may comprise, for example, local content (such as local advertisements, and local announcements relating to sports, concerts and contests), pre-local content (such as station identifications, advertisements for recurring program segments, and other local information that does not change as often as locals) and weather content (such as forecasts).
The conventional way in which a broadcast affiliate transmits a description of localized content to a broadcast content provider is via fax or email. A recording artist employed by the content provider then records the localized content, and causes the recorded content to be transmitted back to the affiliate.